The Inpatient Reviews
Playing off the wonderful formula of Until Dawn, but polishing whatever rust was there, it succeeds in nearly every task it sets out to do. It is chilling without being cheesy. Horrifying without being overt. Disturbing without being grotesque.
The Inpatient is one of PSVR's best. It's a shining example of presence and engagement. The visuals impress and it uses a ton of clever tricks to fully immerse the player in the experience of living out Blackwood Sanatorium's final days, making me feel like I was actually there. There are fun Easter eggs for those who have played Until Dawn, but The Inpatient can still be enjoyed without. The overall plot does fall flat in the final act as the scares give way to a less-than-exciting conclusion, but the branching possibilities means that even after two playthroughs, untold stories of the sanatorium still await me.
A rare prequel that actually enhances its predecessor, The Inpatient takes a subtle but effective approach to psychological horror in VR.
The Inpatient is one of the best horror games that Virtual Reality has nowadays. Supermassive Games has created a great example of how to create an immersive story and has brought it to life for PlayStation VR. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-ldb4'); });
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Inpatient works quite well by adapting the formula of Until Dawn into a VR title. I just wish it did not play things so safely.
The replay value of this game lives as far as your sanity can take you.
The Inpatient gets inside your head with its atmosphere, presentation and lore only to end as soon as it starts in earnest...
Another confident entry in the Until Dawn universe placing you "IN" the patient by implementing clever techniques while leaving other areas with lingering symptoms
The Inpatient is a first-person horror game for PlayStation VR that takes place decades before the events of Until Dawn. Although the story takes place during an important time in which the origins of the enemy from the original game are explained, The Inpatient touches superficially on those events, focusing more on a psychological terror and in its own narrative - you are a patient in Blackwood Sanatorium, suffering from amnesia and blackouts, trying to understand how and why you are there. While the game has great graphics and good moments of horror and tension, sometimes it gets tedious and is relatively short, not justifying the high launch price.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
For my first playthrough I'd had a few tall glasses of water and the experience of stepping into the sanatorium was akin to actually visiting a real place rather than simply strapping on a headset; I felt like I was an actual presence within this world and, coupled with the voice commands, I found myself fully inhabiting my character. Subsequent playthroughs inevitably lost that sense of wonder but, in terms of narrative resolution, I found that my decisions led to a far more satisfying outcome than my first time through.
Supermassive Games has aimed for something truly ambitious in the horror sector with The Inpatient. While there are some fine ideas in play, this brief psychological experience could've used a little bit more time in therapy.
The Inpatient's opening hour will require you to keep a change of pants with you as you encounter more jump scares and intense moments than you can shake a Move controller at. However, the final hour feels rushed and creates a very different atmosphere very quickly. There are plenty of different paths which unlock various trophies so replaying the game is a must but the question is, would you want too?
The Inpatient ends up as poorly thought out walking simulator that not once manages to get out of Until Dawns shadow. There's not enough character development or horror elements in the short playtime of 2-3 hours to keep you motivated for a second playthrough of the game. If you enjoyed Until Dawn you'll still get a little bit of closure out of the story.
Review in German | Read full review
Unfortunately The Inpatient is not the game I had hoped for. The limited freedom of movement clouds the overall impression very much. Actually you don't get a game here, but rather an interactive movie. The dialogues seem to be very long, there are often long pauses between the sentences. And also the lame locomotion later in the game is unfortunately very annoying and artificially prolongs the already quite short pleasure with about 3 hours playing time. The Jumpscares are used too often in my opinion and the effect is unfortunately wearing off a bit. Nevertheless, the gaming experience, especially because of the great immersion, is fantastic and you start it again and again to reach all possible endings.
Review in German | Read full review
Despite being developed for the same team that made Until Dawn, The Inpatient lacks of a thrilling story and nice motion controllers that can turn it into a memorable experience for the PlayStation VR.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Despite providing some interesting backstory for the Until Dawn universe, my enjoyment of The Inpatient is held back by dull characters and inconsistent scares.
The Inpatient is a much quieter game than Until Dawn. It adopts a straight-faced tone, opting for psychological horror rather than grisly thrills. There's nothing wrong with that approach, but coming off the last game, it took some adjusting. I couldn't help but wish it was more, well, exciting. It's a technical marvel, but at times the experience feels hollow and uneventful. In the end, even though I'm glad to return to this universe, The Inpatient comes across as a bit of a missed opportunity.
Interesting yet limited VR game that puts you inside of an inmate on Blackwood Sanitorium, to experience a cinematic story that you can alter, but with little to none interactivity.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Inpatient has a solid core that is coupled with a gimmick that detracts from it.
The Inpatient's interesting premise and ideas cannot save a game plagued by a badly paced plot and a boring gameplay.
Review in Italian | Read full review